Your Tainted Wings
by Leiyoi
Summary: AU. Cistello, a civilization of winged people living high in the clouds, is in conflict over the next ruler. Tsunayoshi, the next chosen ruler, is sentenced to exile for treason and murder. Hayato, determined to prove Tsunayoshi's innocence, descends to search for his best friend. He finds him. But Tsunayoshi cannot remember. That is, until the clock strikes twelve.
1. Chapter 1

"_No matter what it takes,_

_I will find you again._

_I promise."_

**Your Tainted Wings**

By: Paio Ichiris Jin (aka Leiyoi)

_Inspired by and for breadsticks._

A barren tree, clinging onto a secluded cloud. A young boy with silver hair sat in it, eyebrows scrunched together as though they were scrutinizing the rest of the world with cynicism. He scowled, silver bangs hanging over smoky green eyes, and continued to scoff at the clouds beneath him. They were so puffy. So clean and cheery looking.

Disgusting.

The clear white wings growing on his back stretched out lazily for a moment before flapping restlessly. All the ones living up here were so annoying. Self-absorbed, happy-go-lucky, etc, etc. If it wasn't that they were manipulating others for their own selfish wants, then they were ignorant fools. Ignorant for thinking that everything was peaceful in the world and fools for believing that everyone else thought the same way as them. Idiots, the lot of them.

His wings flapped again as if flicking something away impatiently and his scowl deepened. And then suddenly, he heard it. The sound of a muffled sniffle among those cheery, puffy clouds. A pitiful sound.

"The hell…?" The boy searched the vicinity of the isolated cloud. There shouldn't be anyone around _his_ territory. Much less someone crying. His eyes finally landed on the form of another boy crouching in a small notch on the side of the tree. The boy's face was hidden in the bark and his chestnut hair—that seemed to burst from his head like a gentle flame—bristled, hair ends trembling from the rest of his shaking body. The white wings on the brunette's back were tucked tightly against him, afraid of releasing open.

The silver haired boy leaned over his branch, an eyebrow raised in question. Who the hell…? Why the heck was some cry-baby out here? All alone in this empty place. What good was it to cry to yourself? Why didn't he just not cry in the first place?

"Idiot." The boy in the tree muttered to himself.

_That was the first time I met you._

The cry-baby was there again. Face hidden in the bark of that dead tree. The silver haired boy frowned in irritation. This time he had left class earlier just to check. The brunette had been hiding there since even before he came. But this was his place…! The boy ground his teeth together, fuming silently. How dare this puny, weak kid come here and sob. The silver haired boy marched up to the brunette and placed his hands firmly on his hips, white wings stretching open menacingly.

"Oi. You. What do you think you're doing under my tree?"

The sniffles immediately stopped. After a pause, the brunette's head snapped around, eyes red and nose runny with snot. The silver haired boy narrowed his eyes and he inwardly smirked when he noticed the other boy flinch. The brunette's amber eyes seemed to widen in fear.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry…! I...! I didn't know!" The brunette squeaked in reply and the white wings tightened even more. The silver haired boy scowled.

"You think a simple sorry will do? You've trespassed on my land and made me listen to your stupid crying for two days straight already. Who the hell are you? You want to die an early death?"

He could see the other boy visibly gulp. What a spineless kid. Obviously the brunette hadn't been through any hardships. To look so threatened just by a simple sentence of, 'You want to die?' Not only spineless, but stupid as well. Didn't he know that murderers were all exiled and sent falling into that other world, corrupted by snakes and demons? No one killed. Unless they were crazy...

"I'm really really sorry! I…! I…! I had no idea this place was yours…! It… was the only place where I didn't find any people around, so…"

The glare aimed at the brunette intensified.

"Did I ask for an explanation?"

The boy squeaked again and immediately lifted his arms over his head, eyes scrunching closed and body balling up together protectively. The silver haired boy raised an eyebrow at this gesture. How pathetic. It would be so easy to just beat this guy into a bloody mess. He hated these kinds of people the most. Thinking that crying would solve all problems. Wasting time bawling their eyes out when they could be doing something to change whatever it was that was making them cry. Stupid. The kid wasn't worth beating up. He could stay worthless all his life for all he cared. The silver haired boy watched the brunette in boredom, wings flicking out in irritation again. After a few seconds, the boy huddling on the ground peered up hesitantly, staring at the other boy with curious amber eyes.

"You're… you're not going to hit me…?"

The silver haired boy's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Why would I hit you? You're not worth getting my hands bloody. And disposing the body somewhere else is really annoying. Just don't let me see you around here ever again."

The brunette continued to stare and his head lifted a little higher. The silver haired boy scowled.

"What? Go away already!"

"You're not… going to hit me?" The brunette asked again, this time in a voice full of astonishment.

The silver haired boy rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. "What? You want me to hit you that bad?"

After another moment, the brunette's eyes seemed to light up in a sparkling amber color. The sudden change stunned the silver haired boy. And then a beautiful smile that matched the boy's twinkling eyes spread across his cheeks. "No. Thank you!"

Wha? What was this? The silver haired boy blinked a couple times, head spinning from the unexpected smile and sincere gratefulness.

"Umm… I'm really sorry for bothering you…" The brunette was standing now and his wings were hanging loose by his sides. The silver haired boy shook his head once and quickly scowled again to hide his momentary surprise.

"Yeah, whatever. Just leave already."

"Oh… okay…" The brunette's eyes lowered and he shuffled backwards across the cloud. Then, he stopped. The silver haired boy watched him warily. What now? The brunette fidgeted and shuffled from foot to foot. He licked his lips and then glanced at the silver haired boy shyly, mustering up what little courage he held. "Umm… is it all right… if I still come here? I promise I won't cry ever again. You won't even hear me here! It'll be like I never existed, so please…! Can I…?" His eyes lowered to the floor of cloud again. The silver haired boy was about to reject the other boy vehemently but the image of the brunette standing so helplessly yet so hopefully before him made him stop. He frowned. There was something seriously messed up about this kid. Smiling as though a god had just appeared before him after being threatened to be beaten up.

He ran a hand through his silver hair and then turned to the black tree, preparing to climb up to his usual perch.

"...whatever."

The brunette looked up and the previous smile lifted the corners of his mouth again, revealing neat rows of white teeth, brightening his adorable face. He hastily lifted his hands up to muffle a quiet laugh but his eyes betrayed the happiness swelling within him. The brunette scurried to the foot of the tree and huddled against it again, wings now twitching happily. The silver haired boy sighed and leaned his back against the trunk of the tree, wondering what had gotten into him.

_That sweet smile of yours. I could never forget. Not in a million years. Not for an eternity._

The silver haired boy lifted a palm up, facing it towards the bright sun in the distance. He turned it a few times, eyebrows furrowed together as usual. Then, his smoky green eyes flickered down to the foot of the tree. Was that guy _really_ there…? He shifted his weight a little and found a pair of white wings, twitching in a strange motion.

He really _was_ there… but he didn't feel his presence at all...! And, just as the boy had promised, he never heard him cry any more…

It was… annoying. The silver haired boy scowled and then jumped, landing heavily in the cloud.

"Okay. What the hell do you want? Why do you keep coming here? You just sit there, doing nothing, saying nothing. Don't you have anything better to do?"

The wings had stopped twitching. The brunette stared at him with unblinking amber eyes, round with shock. Then, his wings pulled in against his back and the boy stuttered in a small voice. "B-But… aren't y-you doing the s-same…?"

"Wha?" The silver haired boy gaped at the brunette. This guy actually dared to talk back! "Hey, I can do what I want here! But you! You have no right to be here! This is my place, you understand!"

The brunette gulped and nodded hastily. "I-I-I'm sorry!"

The silver haired boy scowled and waved his hand. "Just go away. You're an eyesore."

"But I haven't made a sound…! Please tell me what's annoying you and I'll definitely stop it! Please…! Let me stay!" The boy begged earnestly.

"It's because you haven't been making any sounds at all that annoys me!"

"Eh? T-Then, I'll make sounds! I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"

"That's annoying, too!"

"B-But, then… how can I stay…?"

"You idiot, just leave me alone! Go away!" The silver haired boy burst out in anger. The brunette retreated and stared at the other with eyes full of hurt.

"But… aren't we… friends…?"

"What?" The silver haired boy snapped. "Since when? You're going delusional!"

The brunette fidgeted with the sides of his shorts and dropped his gaze to the cloudy floor. "But… you're the only one who doesn't hit me…"

"Haa?" The silver haired boy raised an eyebrow. And that was when he finally noticed all the bruises along the other boy's arms. The boy's legs were also spotted with green and purple blotches. He inched closer, studying the other boy carefully. The brunette didn't move. He walked over and then lifted the white shirt up abruptly, surprising the other.

"Ah!" The brunette blushed as the other boy scrutinized his ribs. He pulled his shirt back down and took a few steps back. The silver haired boy scowled.

So many bruises...

That couldn't be normal.

What the heck happened to this guy when he wasn't hanging around here?

"C-Can I… please stay? Please…?" The brunette asked again, cheeks still pink with embarrassment.

"Oi, what's with all those bruises?"

The brunette's eyes wavered for a moment and then darted downwards to stare at his pale feet. He remained silent. The silver haired boy frowned and raised his tone.

"Oi...!"

"If I answer then... can I stay...?" The brunette asked back. The silver haired boy blinked once. Then, his eyes hardened.

"No."

Why should he care.

"Just go away. I don't really want to know."

The kid was just another one of those idiots out there. He turned and started climbing back up the tree, wings flicking irritably outwards.

"But... but...! I thought we were friends!"

The silver haired boy settled against the trunk of the dead tree comfortably.

"Wait...! Wait! Wait, please! Can't I just—?"

"Go away! You're annoying!" The silver haired boy spat out in finality. He heard nothing in return. No more pitiful protests. No more pleading. When he finally glanced in the brunette's direction, he could only see the small back of the other boy, wings tucked tighter than a spring and figure trotting slowly off into the blurring clouds in the distance.

_Sometimes, I wish we had spent more time together..._

_Because you are an important person to me._

A couple days had passed since the last time the brunette had come. The silver haired boy peeked down at the roots keeping the tree upright in the clouds. That guy hadn't come anymore. Just as he had wanted.

Somehow it annoyed him.

Everything annoyed him.

His wings flicked out in a rapid motion and his eyebrows furrowed deeply, lips pressing together into a thin line. The silver haired boy clenched his fists. The kid wasn't even there and he _still_ managed to annoy him!

"Urgh!" The silver haired boy hit his forehead with his fists, aggravated by a reason he could not come up with. What was it? Was he guilty or something? For turning that guy away when he knew that there was something wrong behind those bruises? "Stupid. Annoying. Kid." The boy seethed through grit teeth as he hit his head with his fists at every word. And then he paused. His wings froze. What was that? A sound...? The silver haired boy whipped his head around in the direction of the cluster of apartments standing on the horizon. Over a fat cloud a few meters away, there stood the brunette, trembling from foot to toe, wings tucked as tightly as ever.

"Hey, No-Good Tsuna, where do you think you're going?"

The brunette was chewing on his bottom lip, shivering heavily like a tiny rabbit. His large amber eyes were already brimming with tears.

"It's impossible for you to escape. You can't fly over that huge gap with how undeveloped your wings are."

The brunette inched to the edge of the cloud as one of the other boys with large wings reached for him.

"Just give up. Accept your beating. You haven't made-up for that last day you ran away yet."

The boys circled in, knuckles cracking and eyes trained gleefully on the brunette.

The silver haired boy watched the brunette duck and ball up right on the edge of the cloud, in a last attempt for protection. He watched, stunned, as the three other boys kicked and punched and beat him mercilessly. The brunette's wings were pressed flat against his back, trying but failing to defend themselves.

"Idiot." The silver haired boy muttered, eyes growing cold as the brunette tottered on the edge of the cloud under the relentless beating.

"Hey, guys. I've come up with a new game!" The boys pulled back and sent glances towards the largest of them. The boy smirked, "Let's see who can be the first to kick him off. Liyo goes first."

The one named Liyo lifted his hands up nervously. "W-Wait, kick him... _off_? What if we get caught? You know we'll be punished really badly if other people find out... we can't kick people off... at least... without... the _law_."

"Ah, what's so great about that old fogey? He was only chosen to lead us because our shitty parents liked how peaceful he was. Well fuck that! I say, change can only come through war! Ain't that right?"

"I totally agree with ya, Kai." The second nodded his head, eyes full with admiration. The large boy named Kai grinned and then leered at the brunette.

"Okay, No-Good Tsuna, say good-bye to Cistello." He pulled his foot back, grin growing insanely wide. "Go to hell, you vermin." And then he swung his leg full-force towards the brunette's gut, intent on sending the small body flying out to the horizon. But a voice stopped him.

"Hey... what're you guys doing? Mind if I join in...?"

The three froze and then hastily turned to face the silver haired boy, standing on the isolated cloud with the gnarly dead tree growing in it. The silver haired boy fixed his smoky green eyes on them in boredom, gaze moving from one boy to the next before falling on the brunette still balled up on the edge of the fat cloud.

"Oh." An icy smile quirked the corners of his mouth upwards. "I see."

The boys paled. But the one named Kai stepped forward bravely. "Y-You might be the rumored 'Hurricane Bomb' but... even _you_ have no way of getting over here with those wings...! You're not a full adult yet!"

The silver haired boy ignored the bulky boy's comment and started running towards the fat cloud at full sprint, eyes shielded under a blanket of silver bangs. The three boys backed away in fright, squealing and huddling together like a pack of monkeys. The silver haired boy half-grinned and then in a mighty bound, he leaped off from his secluded cloud, legs bicycling in the blue skies for a moment, wings pumping once, before landing on the fat cloud with a heavy thud. The boys gasped and the brunette peered up curiously from his ball of safety, teary amber eyes open in bewilderment.

"So..." The silver haired boy straightened, dusting off the front of his shirt. "What was that about me not getting here without being an adult...?"

Liyo squeaked and then babbled incoherently before turning to run. The silver haired boy rushed past the other two and easily caught up with the skinny Liyo. He pulled back a fist and sent it heavily into the boy's cheekbone, promptly causing Liyo to collapse and howl with pain. The silver haired boy kicked Liyo in the side lightly, rolling the boy away, and then turned his attention on the next two.

Kai scowled. He gestured to his other lackey and the boy charged forward, right fist raised. The silver haired boy caught the boy's punch with his left hand and in one smooth movement, kneed him in the stomach. His attacker fell to the ground unceremoniously.

The silver haired boy sighed irritably and scratched the back of his head, eyeing the last boy frozen in place.

"Just you left, huh. What a fucking waste of time..." He clucked his tongue and shrugged. Might as well finish what he started. He strolled towards the one named Kai casually and rolled his shoulders a few times to warm them up. These guys weren't even worth using a bomb on.

"H-Hey... you guys... get up and get over here... Now...!" Kai grunted, sweat dripping from his chin and forehead as the silver haired boy drew closer. But his two companions still bawled over their injuries, nursing them carefully. The silver haired boy let out a short laugh. Man, these guys were so useless. He only hit them once!

As he approached the large boy, he chuckled. And then without any further terrorizing, the boy dealt the final blow to the largest boy among them, sending Kai sprawling to the floor. The silver haired boy turned to the brunette, still cuddled over the lip of the fat cloud. The boy's face was stained with tears and bruises, one eye black from a recent attack. The brunette watched him, wings loosening from his body slightly, and the silver haired boy let out an irritated sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest, cheeks blushing a little pink in embarrassment, and he turned his head to the right to avoid the brunette's gaze.

"I-I'm not doing this for you... you know? I just don't like seeing that kind of thing around here." The silver haired boy murmured. The brunette blinked and soon, another one of his beautiful smiles spread over his face again. The silver haired boy gazed at the brunette for a moment and a small smile alighted on his lips as well. It was irrepressible.

But the smile on the brunette's face quickly vanished.

"Behind you!"

The silver haired boy turned in curiosity, just as Kai shoved him, causing him to lose balance and topple over the edge of the cloud. His eyes widened. What...? He saw the sky and clouds beneath him and for a split second, his stomach soared with that feeling a person only got when they were in mid-air with nothing to hold them up. This... would be the end...?

The silver haired boy felt his heart speed up and just as he prepared himself to fall into the depths of whatever lay beyond those puffy clouds below him, his world stopped. His eyes, wide with shock, darted from one cloud to the next, silver bangs hanging down. He should be falling. Why wasn't he falling? And then, he finally registered the soft fingers clutching desperately onto his right ankle. The silver haired boy's head shot in the direction of his feet, finding the brunette biting his lip until it bled, fighting to keep his hold on him despite how weak his muscles were.

"You...!" The silver haired boy gaped, green eyes fixed on the image of the frail brunette struggling to keep him from falling.

"Heh, now look at you, 'Hurricane Bomb'." Kai cackled down at him, "How helpless you look. With only a No-Good Tsuna to save you."

The silver haired boy scowled. That guy was really pissing him off now...!

"Hey, No-Good Tsuna." The large boy nudged the brunette with his foot and the brunette flinched in return. "Heeey, why don't I make a deal with ya, No-Good Tsuna. It's one that you can't turn down. If you let 'Hurricane Bomb' drop, I promise that no one'll eeeever hurt you again. How about it?"

"What?" The silver haired boy snarled and fought to pull himself back up. What had he been thinking? Coming to help this kid... was it worth being condemned to a life of hell? The wings on the silver haired boy's back thrashed wildly. No way! He had to get back up before that guy let go of his ankle. Damnit, why did he get himself in this sort of situation? He was going to fall. He was so stupid. For actually trying to believe once more...

But...

...he hadn't fallen yet.

The silver haired boy's thrashing slowed to a stop as he realized this. He... hadn't fallen yet? His eyes fell on the brunette again, still holding tightly onto his ankle, without the slightest notion of letting go. That guy... wasn't letting go?

"Ohh? Not gonna do it, huh? Well, this makes things simple. I'll just kick you off, too." Kai laughed and sent a foot hurtling into the brunette's side. The silver haired boy watched as the brunette clamped his mouth together to stifle the pained cry and the brunette's eyes watered as another kick went slamming into his soft ribs. But the hold on his ankle never relinquished.

The silver haired boy continued to watch with round eyes full of surprise. "You..."

This guy...

Even while being beaten...

He didn't let go...!

Kai scowled as he smashed the brunette's ribs over and over again with his foot. "Fall off already! Fall off! Goddamn it, why won't you just die already, you worthless piece of—!"

And then a foot suddenly connected with the bottom of Kai's chin, cutting off the large boy's words and causing the boy to bite his tongue, sending blood pooling into his mouth. The silver haired boy had swung up as the brunette heaved him upwards—in an attempt to pull him up—and he had successfully landed a blow on the large boy. All in under a few seconds.

Kai fell back and the silver haired boy followed after to give the boy another few kicks for good measure. In another minute or so, Kai was knocked unconscious. The silver haired boy settled beside the brunette, and they both panted breathlessly, staring at the unmoving body of the large boy.

They turned to each other slowly.

And then a genuine smile lit up the silver haired boy's face for the first time in a very very long while. His green eyes shimmered emerald in glee.

The brunette looked back, awestruck and slightly frightened by the happy expression on the other boy's face, but the silver haired boy paid no mind to the slight fear in the other boy's eyes; too elated by his find.

There was actually this kind of person left in this rotting world...!

"I'm Hayato!"

The brunette blinked a few times in disbelief, mouth parted open adorably.

"I'm... I'm... Tsu... Tsunayoshi..."

The silver haired boy named Hayato grinned and reached a hand out to shake the brunette's vigorously in an almost child-like way.

"Tsunayoshi!"

"Y-Yes...?"

"Tsunayoshi...!" The silver haired boy repeated again, cheerily to himself. "Tsuuunayoshiiii!"

After another moment of listening to his name being spoken so many times and so joyously aloud, the brunette blushed red and stared down at his lap silently. But nevertheless, a warm smile remained pasted on his lips. Hayato grinned widely when he saw the smile and then let their clasped hands lie gently on the cloud beneath them.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from now on! Tsunayoshi!"

_I am so happy to have met you._

Days passed. Weeks. Months. Years.

The two once small boys had now left the chains of the ground and spent a lot of their time zipping about in the sky. Their wings, growing larger and paler than before, beat against the winds, lifting them twirling and soaring to new heights.

Tsuna laughed as Hayato whizzed by waving and the brunette followed after, pumping his own pair of wings hurriedly. He caught up and reached for the other boy's hand, who in turn grinned and squeezed the brunette's fingers playfully.

They had just finished another day of classes at the academy and had left to their usual spot.

No one had dared to pick on the brunette again, for fear of calling upon the wrath of the 'Hurricane Bomb'. And in peace, the two had grown closer than brothers, sharing adventures and misadventures together.

"Jyuudaime, are you hungry?" The silver haired teen asked, calling the brunette by his new name; a name that Hayato now called Tsuna because the Kyuudaime of Cistello had chosen a new leader for the next generation.

The Jyuudaime of Cistello in the near future, Tsunayoshi.

The silver haired youth couldn't agree on the old man's decision ever more. Only Tsuna could be fit for the position of Jyuudaime...!

There had been many protests against Kyuudaime's choice. Many preferred Xanxus, Kyuudaime's son, who held power that no one had seen in decades. But Kyuudaime had shaken his head solemnly. Tsuna would remain the leader of the next generation.

"Umm..." After hearing his other name, the brunette smiled uneasily, a smile he often wore nowadays, "I am a little hungry... should we go dig up some sun yams then...?"

"Good idea! Sun yams are perfect for this weather!" The silver haired teen nodded cheerily, tugging the other teen along with him towards a patch of cloud with a large castle-like structure looming over them. "Those things usually grow in shadowy places, right?" Hayato crouched down against the wall of the building, pulling pieces of cloud away with his fingernails. Tsuna knelt beside him, digging at the cloud as well. As they peeled away the cloud, an end of a small golden brown yam appeared. The two unearthed it quickly and lifted it up proudly. Hayato passed the sun yam to Tsuna with a simple, "Here," and then he scuffled to another spot, squatting again to dig. The brunette followed him, yam in both hands, and quickly peeled away the yam's skin to munch on the juicy yellow insides. Hayato dug up another and sat down across from Tsuna, peeling his own yam to eat. The two chewed silently and then smiles grew over their faces.

Just another peaceful day.

"Wait a second, Xanxus!"

The voice of a person from above them caused the two to stop eating.

"I cannot allow you to carry out such a plan. I must report you to Kyuudaime at once!"

Hayato frowned and stood up slowly, looking upwards. There was something fishy going on...

_So._

"Hah, report to that old fart, huh." The deep voice of the man named Xanxus echoed down to the two teen's ears.

"Tsunayoshi is to be the leader of the next generation. Not you. That is Kyuudaime's final decision."

"I know."

"Then... why? This plan...?"

A peal of laughter erupted from the castle. "Ha ha! Why, you ask?"

Hayato scowled, watching the castle terrace warily. He faintly heard Tsuna stand up beside him.

"Yes, why? You know that Tsunayoshi will be Jyuudaime and yet you...!"

"**So what**?"

Hayato's eyes narrowed. Maybe they should go inform Kyuudaime about this conversation right now, before they were discovered.

"W-What...?"

"The old fart says that piece of trash will be Jyuudaime, **so what**?"

"You...! You...! You're a monster...! I must...! I must go to Kyuudaime at once!"

The silver haired teen heard a beat of wings. His eyes grew round and he spun towards the brunette standing beside him. But all he was met with was a burst of wind and amber light. Tsuna was gone...! His eyes shot upwards and he found the tips of a pair of wings disappear beyond the wall. Hayato pumped his wings with haste and pushed off from the ground, following after the brunette. What was he doing?

"Die...!" Xanxus's voice rang in the silver haired teen's ears as he soared straight up the wall. When he stopped at the top with a snap of his wings, what he found on the roof of the castle nearly sapped all the energy in him. He landed softly and collapsed to his knees, eyes wide and hands trembling. The feathers that had scattered from the sudden flight floated down around him.

Blood. There was so much blood.

_No matter what it takes._

Red. The spray of red across cold stone. The crimson stains blossoming across pure white wings. A man lay in the brunette's arms, eyes dull and face petrified in a look of shock. A large hole was gaping in the man's chest, the red blood seeping through his clothes and draining onto Tsuna's hands and legs. It was staining everything...! Everything...!

Hayato's mouth could not close. He could not move, weak from the sight of the brunette drenched in fresh blood. Those white wings were turning a mesmerizing bright ruby red.

The brunette's eyes were blank, the amber pupils glowing against the darkening red blood soaking his hair and face and body. A trail of tears fell from one cheek.

"I... was too late."

_No matter **what** it takes,_

_I will make sure..._

They had taken him away. Locked him up in some cold cell in the depths of Cistello. Where light could not reach him and warm his face.

The silver haired teen had told the guards that they had the wrong person. The one who had killed Renardo was Xanxus, not Tsuna!

They answered back with a cold, 'Then why are Xanxus's wings pure white and No-Good Tsuna's wings a dirty red?'

Hayato ground his teeth together. Idiots... idiots... all of them! Tsuna would _never_ hurt anyone! He was being framed! It was all wrong!

How could his wings be white? How?

The young man fisted his hands together, head bowed. His fingernails dug into his palms and his knuckles turned pale.

How?

How?

How?

"Dammit...!" He smashed a fist into the stone floor of the building holding Tsuna captive. He bit his bottom lip and then he slammed both his fists into the ground, cracking his skin, and he thrust his head back, howling at the skies. "FUCK YOU ALL, YOU BASTARDS!"

The lasting ring of his ferocious shout continued to echo into the night.

_I will make sure that you will..._

The murmur of the winged people of Cistello filled the entire hall. An old man with a weary expression sat in the tallest chair, looking down at the people gathered before him. The tall doors of the hall opened and gasps erupted, along with cries of horror, as a pair of guards led in a small, frail looking boy with wings as red as the setting sun.

"Tsunayoshi, you are now sentenced to exile. The charges against you are the murder of Renardo of the Cistello Guard..."

"And treason against Cistello." A man beside him added promptly.

"And... treason against Cistello." The old man sighed.

The brunette remained silent, hands bound in front of him by strong rope. His red wings were tucked tightly into his back.

Hayato pushed through the people, grasping with his hands the railing that kept them separated from each other. He clutched the railing firmly. Maybe if he held on hard enough, it would crumble in his fingers...

"Any last words, Tsunayoshi-kun...?" The old man asked kindly, a tone of sadness in his voice.

_...return..._

For a moment, the light in the brunette's eyes seemed to return. The young teen glanced around the room tentatively. His eyes finally landed on Hayato, whose face was twisted with worry, concern, and above all, helplessness.

A small, gentle smile spread across his lips and the silver haired youth felt what was left of his heart tear into shreds.

"Umm, may I...?" He watched the brunette timidly ask the old man.

"Of course." The man nodded and the person standing beside him gasped.

"Wait, Kyuudaime...!"

The old man lifted a hand up calmly. "It's all right. Everything... will be fine."

The brunette moved towards the silver haired teen. The crowd backed away as Tsuna drew near. He reached his bound hands to Hayato and the silver haired boy took the small pale hands in his own. The brunette smiled and then leaned forward.

"I'm sorry... Hayato. I'm making you worry..." Tsuna breathed out and stared at the silver haired teen with clear eyes.

"Jyuudaime..." He shook his head, holding onto the brunette's hands tightly.

"It'll be okay. You know that I'm innocent. And that's the only thing that matters to me..."

"Jyuudaime, why are you saying this? You should tell them that you're not guilty...! There's still a chance to convince them...! If it's you, you can do it!" Hayato shook his head fervently, holding the brunette's hands tighter in his own.

He watched the brunette smile again and then lean closer in, brown hair brushing past his temple.

A kiss.

Right on his cheek.

So gentle, like a wisp of wind.

It left his skin tingling.

His hold on those pale hands went slack and the boy said something but Hayato had no chance to think on it as the guards pulled Tsuna away.

"No, wait...!" The silver haired teen snapped forward, arm extending for the brunette being led down the hall; to the door leading towards the pit that would swallow Tsuna whole and spit him out to the hellish land of Threa.

_...return to..._

The crowd was dispersing, all leaving to find a place to watch the crimson-winged boy fall.

Hayato ripped his way through the people, flying over the crystal dome separating the people from the rift in the clouds. He pressed his hands against the crystal, eyes fixed on Tsuna standing dangerously on the edge.

"Take your hands off of him..." The silver haired teen snarled, watching the guards hold the brunette roughly and then drape him with snakes using hooked sticks. He could see Tsuna shivering and the boy's eyes were squeezed shut. Hayato's eyes flickered and he clenched his hands together again.

"Jyuudaime...!"

As if hearing his whimper, the brunette looked skywards, amber eyes searching and then pinpointing Hayato on the top of the dome. He smiled again, although the snakes wrapped along his wings and body made him freeze up in fear. And then, the guards lifted him off the ground.

Hayato watched the brunette dangle over the hole, feet pointed downwards. Motionless.

The hands let go.

The brunette seemed to float in the air for a moment. Light as a feather.

And then, the crimson-winged boy was gone.

Gone from Cistello forever.

Swallowed.

_...return to my side._

Whoops and cries of joy came from the people applauding below.

But for the silver haired teen, only one sound reverberated in his mind as he continued to stare at the empty black rift and recall the words Tsuna had whispered for him. The last words he had spoken before they had taken him away.

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, a normal student just entering Namimori High School. It is currently September. My birthday will be coming up next month. I will be turning sixteen..._

"Tsu-kun...! If you don't hurry, you'll be late for school!"

A young brunette sat up abruptly from his bed. After blinking blearily at his surroundings through sleep ridden eyes, he fell back against his pillows again and groaned loudly. He slipped his soft sheets over his head and pulled his knees up to his chest, body shivering from the morning chill.

Yet another day...

_I am just a normal person. I've got an average family and an average life._

Tsuna stumbled down the steps hurriedly and rushed into the kitchen, trying to tie his tie and put on his socks at the same time. "Mom, why didn't you wake me earlier?" He lifted his school bag—leaving his tie hanging loosely around his neck—and grabbed a piece of toast from the dining table. A young woman with a sweet smile and auburn hair faced him, holding a spatula in hand.

"I tried, but you're just like your father." She giggled like a teenage girl. "You two are so hard to wake up in the morning! But your sleeping faces are so cute."

Tsuna let out a deep sigh. His mother was still so lovey-dovey even at this age...

"Bye, mom..."

"Have a great day at school, Tsu-kun!" She waved to him. As the brunette ran past the living room, he paused and peeked in. He sighed again as he found his father lying in a messy heap, surrounded by cans of beer. So useless. Just exactly _what_ did that guy do? Sawada Iemitsu was a man who looked like he never worked... but somehow, their family always managed to have enough money to pay off the bills every year and they were even well-off enough to send him to college.

The fact that his father always idled around in the house while managing to support their family always baffled Tsuna.

_Not very good at sports, not too good at academics. I don't really try very hard either (sort of like my dad, although I don't want to admit that...)_ _I'm not particularly good-looking or bad-looking. Completely plain. And... slightly shorter than other guys my age._

_Anyone could forget about someone like me._

_It's irresponsible but... if it were up to me, I wouldn't even bother going to school. I'd stay at home and play video games all day, read comics... or something like that._

_The only two reasons I even continue going to school are..._

"Yo, Tsuna!"

The familiar voice surprised the brunette at the school gates. A black haired youth with a cheery grin came jogging towards him.

"Yamamoto...?" Tsuna slowed to a stop, eyes wide in surprise. "Why aren't you in class yet?"

The young man laughed lightly and ruffled the brunette's mop of hair without having to stretch his arm out, being among the tallest in school. "I was wondering where you were! It's only been a few days into the school year and you've already managed to show up late."

"Sorry..." Tsuna rubbed the back of his head and peered up at the dark haired teen shyly. "...you were waiting for me?"

"Of course!" Yamamoto grinned, "We're best friends, aren't we?" The black haired youth noticed his friend's loose tie and fixed it up for him, chuckling when the brunette blushed in embarrassment and fumbled to take over for him.

The faint toll of a deep bell rang across the campus and the cast iron gates started to creak shut.

"Ah, that's not good..." Yamamoto smiled nervously, sweat beading on his brow. "That's the second bell. C'mon, Tsuna! We have to get to class!" He reached for the brunette's hand and started sprinting down the courtyard and up the spiral steps before Tsuna had the chance to prepare himself.

_...and..._

They burst into the classroom, flinging the wooden door of the lecture room open with a bang.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, Yamamoto Takeshi. You two stand in the hall."

"W-What?" The brunette stuttered, eyes flitting from the teacher at the front of the room to his classmates sitting behind tables on tiered steps. A few of them were stifling their laughs. Tsuna's face went bright red and he ducked his head down. So embarrassing...! To have to stand out in the hall when they were already in high school!

His friend chortled easily, scratching the back of his head. "Now this takes me back! Remember when we stood out in the hall when we were middle schoolers, Tsuna?" The laughter from the class grew louder as they chuckled at the black haired youth's nostalgic statement.

"Yamamoto..." The brunette murmured, head bowed in shame. He peeked in the direction of a light haired girl, giggling behind one of her hands. He felt his embarrassment fade away and a smile lift the corners of his mouth as he watched her laugh.

Aah, Sasagawa Kyoko's innocent smile was the best thing in the entire world! It never failed to melt his heart.

_But recently... a series of strange events has happened in school. Mom tells me not to worry about it but, I'm not so sure if I want to continue going anymore..._

The both of them were standing out in the hall, Yamamoto smiling and waving at passerbies while Tsuna kept his head down, trying not to take any notice of their stares. Suddenly, he felt something akin to ice slipping down his back. The brunette's head snapped up. What was that feeling...? An involuntary shiver slipped through his teeth and Yamamoto glanced at him curiously.

"Tsuna?"

The brunette wrapped his arms around himself as the chills traveling down his spine grew in number. He rubbed his arms. Why was it so cold?

Someone was coming around the corner; they could hear the footsteps. Tsuna's body froze in place as a tall young man turned the corner and walked down the other hall, face expressionless. He couldn't move his arms or legs. He couldn't stop the shivering. The man who had come around the corner had unnatural blue hair and a few tufts of it were pulled up on the back of his head, leaving a lengthy tail of blue hair trailing from his nape. For a split second, Tsuna thought he had seen the man's eyes. One red, one blue.

"Tsuna? Tsuna!" The sound of Yamamoto's voice finally registered in his mind and Tsuna blinked in shock. What had come over him just now...? Yamamoto gently turned the brunette around and studied him carefully. "Tsuna, you all right?"

The boy's brown eyes darted about frantically and his shoulders were tense. He finally found his voice again and slowly tried to work his mouth open. "I-I... don't know...?"

_Later on, Yamamoto found out that the blue haired person we saw was a guy named Rokudo Mukuro. Even his name gives me the chills... He's a new transfer student. There are rumors that his previous school kicked him out because he was a really wild child. So scary... I hope I don't meet him again._

_I just can't move properly when I'm around him. My body just stops._ _And I don't even know why..._

_That's... not the only reason though. That's not the only reason why I don't want to go to school anymore..._

_The next day, I met **him**._

"As you have all heard and undoubtedly seen, our new transfer student, Rokudo Mukuro just arrived yesterday and has been enrolled into the third year class down the hall. And today, I want to introduce the new transfer student who has been enrolled in our very own class! Please give a warm welcome to Gokudera Hayato, everyone!"

"Oh?" Yamamoto whispered to Tsuna, who was sitting beside him behind the wooden table on the third tier. "Another transfer student? Sounds kinda interesting! I wonder what he's like?" The brunette nodded and trained his eyes on the door expectantly.

The person who entered the room was unlike anyone Tsuna had ever seen before. A young man with short silver hair and eyes so beautifully green that the class couldn't help but sigh. The man stood at the front of the room, watching the class in boredom, shoulders slouching. Despite his handsome features, the youth's face made him look hard to approach. Eyebrows furrowed, eyes biting, and scowl set across his lips. He also was not wearing the uniform obediently like everyone else. Quite the rebel.

The girls swooned.

A bead of sweat ran down Tsuna's head. Did girls like this kind of guy...? To him, Yamamoto would probably be a better choice...

Well... Yamamoto was popular as well (how he had become such close friends with a popular guy like Yamamoto Takeshi still surprised him), but...

What about Kyoko-chan? The brunette whipped his head in the girl's direction and he noticed a look of admiration in her eyes. Oh no! Did Kyoko-chan like this kind of guy, too?

He felt his best friend tap him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Tsuna turned and Yamamoto leaned towards him, hand raised over his mouth.

"He's looking at you..."

"Eh?" The brunette blinked a couple times and then peered at the new silver haired student. Those piercing green eyes were fixed on him. He glanced behind him and, spotting another person there, he shifted his seat to the side slightly. The emerald eyes followed. Tsuna gulped.

Whyyyy?

"Do you know him?" Yamamoto asked, bewildered, and the brunette shook his head vigorously back and forth.

He had never seen that guy in his entire life!

_And then, it was like one thing after another...!_

"Uhh, all right," The teacher started, "Gokudera-kun, please take any open seat you like. Now I'll be starting with the announcements because we have very good news today! After decades of pleading, due to popular demand on behalf of all teachers, admin, students, and parents, the Disciplinary Committee has finally accepted the Autumn Dance Festival proposition...! And..."

The silver haired youth was still staring intently at him.

How creepy... what the heck was his problem...? Tsuna tried not to look at the young man as he walked up the steps but he still found himself hearing and focusing on every step the silver haired man took. The man had stopped now. Right next to him. He could hear a few girls giggling.

Damn! Of all days, why did he pick today to sit right next to the stairs?

Tsuna could still feel the man's eyes on him. He held his breath. What did this guy want?

"Jyuu... daime."

That was the first thing that left the silver haired man's lips.

A sting of pain.

Tsuna slowly looked up, eyes wide in surprise. His heart was hurting at that one word. But why? What did it mean? Who was this Jyuudaime...? The silver haired man named Gokudera continued to stare down at him and Tsuna could make out the faint tiredness in the green eyes. He quickly collected his thoughts and put on a troubled smile.

"Umm... I'm very sorry... my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. Not Jyuudaime... maybe you have the wrong person...?"

That would explain why the silver haired man had kept staring at him from the moment they had crossed eyes.

"Tsu...?"

The brunette noticed that the man's eyes had suddenly changed. They looked... hopeful?

"Tsunayoshi?"

"E-Ehhh?" Tsuna's face grew as hot as fire. This complete stranger suddenly called him by his first name...! Not even Yamamoto or his mom did that! A great intake of breath came from the surrounding classmates; all of their cheeks were turning pink. Even the teacher paused in surprise.

Gokudera blinked once and stared at them all with a raised eyebrow. He frowned at them and let out an annoyed huff. Then, the young man sent a glare at Tsuna—who withdrew with a silent shriek—and murmured a quick, "I have to talk to you. After class." Promptly after that, he trekked up the rest of the steps to settle in a seat at the back corner.

The brunette could only gape blankly.

As soon as the silver haired man had left his side, Yamamoto pulled up and nudged Tsuna in the arm a few times. "That guy must be a foreigner, huh..."

The brunette could only nod along dumbly.

_What he told me that day... I didn't think my life would change so much after hearing it._

"Don't forget to prepare for the Autumn Dance Festival! It's a once in a lifetime chance! Everyone must attend, all right? Class dismissed!" The teacher smiled kindly and then gathered his things. The class started to disperse and Yamamoto clasped his hands together apologetically, bowing his head down. Tsuna stared at his best friend in confusion.

"I'm sorry!"

"Huh?"

Yamamoto peered up over his fingers. "I'm sorry, Tsuna. I really wanted to stay with you while you talked with Gokudera but... practice has already started. So... I really have to go..."

The brunette blinked a couple times and then laughed good-naturedly. He waved a hand and smiled. "It's okay, Yamamoto! You don't have to apologize for that. Of course you have to go to baseball practice. It's what you love doing! You don't have to stay after class with me. After all, I'll just be... talking to Gokudera-kun... It's not such a big deal..."

"Well..." The dark haired man straightened and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't know... I'm just... kinda worried for you, I guess. You've been acting strange since Rokudo Mukuro came yesterday. And now there's Gokudera..."

Tsuna smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Yamamoto. But I'll be fine. You should get to practice...!"

"Right." The young man winced and glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'm really sorry, Tsuna. Take care of yourself, okay?" He hopped over the tables, bags in tow, and gave his friend one last wave, "See you later!"

And then everyone was gone.

Save for the brunette and the silver haired youth in the corner of the room.

Tsuna gulped. He packed his bag quickly and paused to glance over his shoulder. Gokudera was staring out one of the large windows, eyes looking far off into the distance. Ch-Chance...! Tsuna started scuffling towards the door. The guy had said they would talk after class... but that didn't mean they had to talk now...! Maybe if he left quickly enough... before the guy noticed...

"Where are you going?" The rough voice stopped him in his tracks. The brunette felt his body start to sweat all over.

This Gokudera guy reeeaally knew how to make him nervous.

The silver haired teen continued to speak, "I said I needed to talk to you."

"Umm... err..." Tsuna turned around slowly, school bag gripped tightly to his chest. He noticed a wistful smile cross Gokudera's face and he couldn't help but wonder what made the silver haired man smile that way. "Umm... I'm not sure what you want with me... I'm really sorry but you probably have the wrong person. I... I really don't know you..." As he ended his sentence, he saw the other man's face fall. "...sorry." Tsuna couldn't help but mumble softly. He turned again, intending to leave the classroom, but Gokudera stopped him once more.

"Wait!" The silver haired man had left his seat and was making his way down the stairs. "It's not like it's been hundreds of years since we've seen each other... it's only been four years!" The young man was now standing right in front of him, between him and the door. "You... really don't remember me...?"

"I-I'm sorry...!" Tsuna gulped again, light brown eyes fixated on the pained expression in the other man's green ones. "I'm really sorry...!"

The silver haired youth frowned deeply, eyebrows creasing further together, and he started muttering to himself. "Could it be because you were exiled? Or I have the wrong person again...?" Tsuna watched the young man grasp his silver hair in his hands, looking as though he were about to pull it all out. "Damn it! This'll be the fifth time...! Just exactly how many people can look so similar to you?"

The brunette watched the other teen with an open mouth. Was this guy going crazy or something? He looked sort of... unstable. Gokudera glanced at him again, eyes sharp.

"You are sure you don't know me?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"You've never heard of a place called Cistello?"

"N-No...?"

The silver haired man grasped him roughly by the shoulders. "Firenze, our grade school and middle school teacher? Timoteo, Kyuudaime of Cistello? What about his son, a bastard named Xanxus?"

"X-X-Xanxus...?" Tsuna squeaked, heart beating rapidly in his rib cage. Was this guy going to hit him? His hands... they were holding onto him so tightly.

It hurt.

It hurt!

"L-Let go of me, please...! You're hurting me!"

The hands released him with a snap. Tsuna backed away and he could see Gokudera staring back at him with wide eyes, hands still raised. The silver haired teen averted his gaze and bit his bottom lip. His hands fell to his sides limply. "...s-sorry."

"Gokudera-kun..."

"Nevermind..." The silver haired man turned away, opening the door of the classroom in a hurry. "Just forget everything I said just now..."

"Gokudera-kun...!"

The door closed shut, leaving the brunette to stand alone in the room full of empty tables.

_I never gave much thought to my past. I always thought that I was born to Sawada Nana and Sawada Iemitsu. Their only son. But what he told me that day... it got me thinking._

"Mom?"

They were sitting at the dining table, bowls and chopsticks in hand, already halfway into dinner. His mother pushed a piece of beef into his bowl and smiled cheerily.

"What is it, Tsu-kun? Did something happen in school again?"

"No... not really..." The brunette poked at his rice idly. To be truthful, nothing had really happened since the day Gokudera had spoken to him. The silver haired teen always sat at the back, staring out the window. Lost in his own thoughts. He rarely spoke and if he ever did, it was usually to tell someone off.

Sawada Nana chewed slowly, watching her son stare down at his food. She set her chopsticks on the table gently. "What is it, Tsu-kun? Is there something troubling you?"

"Well..." The young man muttered, poking at his rice again. Then, he looked up resolutely. "Mom? You used to say that I liked to crawl around a lot when I was a kid. I didn't start walking until I was two years old, right?"

"Oh! Are you bothered about starting out late? Tsu-kun, you're so silly." Nana giggled.

Tsuna laughed dryly and scratched his cheek. "No... that's not what I wanted to talk about..."

"Hm?"

"I... I wanted to see... my childhood pictures..." The brunette stated quietly.

Silence filled the room.

Tsuna peered at his mother, wondering why she hadn't answered yet. He was expecting her to giggle and leap up from her seat to go get albums upon albums of embarrassing photographs. But she hadn't done anything. Finally, the woman giggled and pressed a finger to her cheek.

"Ara, I might have misplaced them somewhere... I can't remember. I'm so sorry, Tsu-kun..."

"Eh... is that so..." The brunette continued to scratch his cheek, "Oh, I know! I'll help you look for them! You're always very neat, Mom, so it should be somewhere in the house. We just need to look for them." He started to rise from his chair and his mother stood up as well, smiling a little forcefully.

"Ara, wait, I just remembered! We didn't have a camera back then so we weren't able to take any pictures..."

Tsuna froze.

So... suspicious.

Why didn't they have photos of when he was a child? No camera? What an unlikely reason.

There was something his mother was not telling him... he could see that it was making her uncomfortable...

The brunette sighed and sat back down, giving the woman a small smile. "I see... yeah, that sort of sounds like something Dad would do. Stupid dad..." He shook his head and lifted his bowl of rice in his hands, plucking up the piece of beef in his chopsticks. Nana sat back down, giggling gently, and they resumed their dinner. But in the back of his mind, the brunette continued to wonder.

_I didn't think what he told me that day would change my life so much._

_I continued to wonder, as the days passed on. Why was it that I was sure I had grown up with my mother and father, yet I could not even recall what I did with them as a child? Even if I was one of those kids who didn't remember what I had done in the past clearly, I should at least remember __**one**__ thing. Anything. A favorite toy. A particular smell. Even a familiar sound._

_But I remembered nothing._

_The days passed on and the night of the Autumn Dance Festival drew near._

Yamamoto slung an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, bringing the smaller boy closer.

"So, Tsuna, have you thought about who you'll be taking to the dance tomorrow night?" His friend grinned. Tsuna fidgeted and glanced around at the boys and girls nearby. He found Sasagawa Kyoko chatting with her best friend, Kurokawa Hana, by the lockers.

"Erm... sort of..." He blushed in answer and Yamamoto chuckled, trapping his head under an arm and ruffling his hair wildly.

But he would never _ever_ have the guts to ask the most popular girl in school out...!

"Aww, pity. I thought it would be pretty cool if we just went together. You know, just single guys." Yamamoto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I wonder who I should ask now... I mean, who else would want to go with me?"

The brunette literally heard the swish of hair from many a girl's head and he felt sweat start to bead on his brow. His friend could be really oblivious sometimes...

"Umm... I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem for you..." Tsuna mumbled and smiled meekly. "Actually, I probably won't ask anyone out... because I'm kind of..."

"Shy?" The black haired teen supplied with a grin. The brunette blushed again and Yamamoto laughed. "Okay, don't worry. Let's go together then. But I promise that by the end of the dance, I'll get you and Sasagawa Kyoko to share at least one dance. Namimori High hasn't held a dance festival since thirty years ago after all. It's a chance you shouldn't miss!" The taller boy winked at him and Tsuna's eyes went round, head snapping upward.

"H-How...? How did you...?"

"Ahaha! Tsuna, you're not that hard to figure out." Yamamoto chuckled with ease and gave the boy's hair another tousle. Someone slammed into the dark haired teen and pushed past roughly, forcing Yamamoto to take a step back. The two of them paused and glanced over their shoulders.

That was... Gokudera? No one else in school had that same hair style... or way of dressing either...

Yamamoto scratched his head in confusion. "I wonder what's wrong with him?" He turned to Tsuna and smiled playfully. "You think he's gonna go to the dance, too?"

The brunette stifled a laugh. "I don't think Gokudera-kun would like to go to dances..."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

As they continued down the hall, Tsuna couldn't help but peer over his shoulder again at the silver haired man marching irritably through the groups of people.

_Dad told me a story before. I don't know or remember when he told me it, but he did tell me it once. It's been haunting me ever since._

"The story of Natsu and the Crimson Wings goes like this..." Sawada Iemitsu settled himself against the wall, a cup in one hand and a bottle of rice wine in the other. "Natsu was a man who had good morals and always obediently followed the rules of society. Although he did not do very well in his work and he was somewhat clumsy compared to others, Natsu always lived the way he wanted to. But he had a bad habit. He always stayed past midnight to work.

One night, as he walked back from work—working late into the night as usual—he heard the flap of wings behind him. When he turned, no one was there.

The next night, the same thing happened. Over and over and over. The flap of wings, yet nothing behind him. Not even in the skies. 'What could be making that sound?' he thought to himself. 'What could be making that sound?'

He soon realized that every time he thought of looking behind him, he would hear the flapping wings. Natsu finally decided that he would confront whatever it was that made the sound. After working late past midnight, he left his workplace and walked for a few minutes, down a completely empty street, save for a few flashing street lights. He started to think to himself, 'I will look behind me'. 'I will look behind me'. 'I will look behind me'. And then he lifted up a small mirror, prepared just to reflect whatever it was that would appear behind him. He heard the sound of flapping. And he looked into the mirror. There, a pale face stared back at him. Its eyes were gaping holes, blood running down its cheeks like tears, mouth open as though it were moaning in pain. The monster's bloodied hands burst from the mirror, snaking around his throat, and before he could react or even scream, he was pulled in. All that was left of Natsu... was that tiny mirror and a shower of red feathers...

HA HA HA! Isn't that a great story, Tsuna? Want me to tell it again?" The haggard looking man poured himself his fifteenth cup and raised it to the trembling bed in the corner of the room.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" The brunette screamed from beneath his pillow, covering his ears futilely.

_Silly, I know. But even so, every time I went to the bathroom at night or stepped in front of a mirror past midnight, I would never fail to see that dark red shadow, like blood... looming behind me. Ever since then, I vowed to never step in front of a mirror or even stay awake after midnight..._

"A dance festival tonight? How wonderful!" His mother exclaimed in glee. She moved to a closet in her bedroom and pulled it open, fumbling through various articles of clothing. "I've been keeping some things, just for this sort of occasion!" Nana whirled around, a handsome tuxedo in hand.

"What the? Mom...?" Tsuna's eyes widened with surprise. She pushed him towards the bathroom and handed him the tuxedo.

"Now now, don't ask any silly questions. You'll be late for the dance...! Hurry and change into it!"

The brunette fingered the tuxedo in his hands and a small smile crossed his face. Maybe... Kyoko-chan would like him more if she saw him wearing it...? He carefully placed the suit on the bathroom counter and started to pull off his shirt. His mother's voice chimed from behind the door.

"Oh, Tsu-kun, why didn't you tell me earlier? We could've gone shopping for better shoes or even a really flashy suit that would make you stand out!"

A bead of sweat ran down his head. "Uhh... no thanks, Mom... this is good enough. Really..."

Suddenly, an unexpected voice erupted from behind the door. "Tsuna! You're going to a dance festival?" The brunette was in the middle of getting his pants off and he tripped backwards in surprise, landing on his bottom painfully. He winced and then stared at the door with round eyes.

"D-Dad?"

"That's my boy! Already going off to party like a college student! But don't stay out too late, all right? At least come back before midnight. Mama and Papa will be really worried if you party too long. Who knows what kind of girl might come drug you and steal you away. You're my cute little son after all!"

Tsuna sighed in exasperation as he heaved himself off the floor. "I'm not _**cute**_, Dad... No girl is going to drug me and steal me away." He rolled his eyes and started fitting himself into the tuxedo. The door opened and the brunette nervously smoothed the edges of his coat. "H-How is it...?"

"You look wonderful, Tsu-kun." Nana giggled and clasped her hands together. "This reminds me of when we used to go to balls and dances together, Papa."

"Shall we go to one today, then, Nana?"

"If you insist, honey!"

Tsuna sighed and let his forehead smack into his palm. These two... He shrugged and then laughed as his parents started a little waltz right in the middle of the bedroom. At least, it was good to know that people could still love each other as though they had just fallen in love even after being together for so long.

_I hadn't intended to stay past midnight..._

Namimori looked quite different at night. The gates were decorated with colored lights and even from far away, people could see through its clear windows that the large cafeteria was lit up grandly and cleared of its usual old tables. The Disciplinary Committee was actually very good at sponsoring events when they really wanted to. Even the fountain behind the cafeteria was spilling colored water into the night skies, courtesy of talented light technicians.

"School ID, please." A man with a pompadour, and a face sporting bandages and bruises (what had happened to him...?), greeted with a low voice. Tsuna fumbled in his pockets and dug out his crumpled card of an ID. He was allowed in through the gates and was immediately met with the smiling face of his reliable friend, Yamamoto Takeshi, decked in formal clothing.

"Hey, not bad, Tsuna!"

The brunette laughed as the black haired teen swung an arm around him, leading them towards the cafeteria. "Where'd you get the tuxedo?"

"My mom found it in her closet." Tsuna shrugged. "I have no idea how she had it in there or why it was the right size..."

Yamamoto chuckled. "Maa, maybe it was all a coincidence...?"

They entered what used to be their cafeteria. The area where they were usually served lunch had been turned into an enclosed ring for the live band. A row of tables against the back wall was laden with snacks and beverages, and the center of the great room had been opened for students to dance. Several round tables and chairs surrounded the dance floor so that if there were any tired boys or girls, they could sit down and rest.

"Hm?" Yamamoto's eyes landed on the table of snacks. "Oh! There's food. I'll go get something for us and how about you go find a table?"

"Okay." Tsuna nodded in agreement, liking the idea. "Could you get me some chips if they have any?" He smiled when he saw his friend salute him in answer. The brunette started to scour through the tables, searching for an empty one.

_I hadn't intended to stay past midnight, but..._

The brunette laughed as Yamamoto told him about something that had happened during baseball practice the other day. His eyes darted past the black haired youth's head a few times. Yamamoto smirked.

"Your eyes have been wandering around for a while now, Tsuna. Looking for someone?"

Tsuna blushed and squirmed under his friend's gaze. Sometimes he really wondered if Yamamoto liked to purposefully make him feel uncomfortable. The dark haired teen smiled and pointed to another table a few meters away. "If you're looking for Sasagawa, she's over there."

The brunette fought his urge to suddenly turn and look. But he lost the fight and ducked down behind his seat, peeking over the edge to watch the sweet girl. He sighed as he saw her wearing a cute, light pink dress that ended right under her knees. It really suited her...

"Wanna go ask her now?" Yamamoto elbowed him teasingly. "I'll help you."

"N-No! It's okay... I don't have to dance with her..." Tsuna mumbled hastily and reached for one of the chips on the table. But his friend curled his arms around his torso and lifted him up easily.

"What are you talking about? Of course you have to dance with her!" Yamamoto laughed and started carrying the brunette off in the unsuspecting girl's direction. "This might be the last chance you get, you should take advantage of it!"

Tsuna wondered vaguely if his friend had accidentally ingested juice that had been spiked by some fool of a teenager. But as he saw Kyoko draw nearer, all thought stopped in his mind.

"Hey, how are you enjoying the party so far?" The star baseball player pulled his stiff friend closer to the two girls in front of them. Kyoko and Hana blinked simultaneously.

"It's pretty fun, actually...!" The lighter haired girl smiled brightly. Tsuna felt his knees buckle under him. Thankfully, Yamamoto was right beside him to hold him up. Hana eyed the taller boy carefully.

"What do you want? Come to ask Kyoko to a dance?"

Yamamoto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You're pretty sharp, Kurokawa. You're right, we're here to ask Sasagawa to a dance. Except... it's my friend here who wants to ask her, right Tsuna?"

"Ah...! Ehh..." Was all he could manage to say. Kyoko shifted her attention from the dark haired teen to the brunette.

"Oh, Tsuna-kun! You came, too!"

"Y-Yeah..." He felt his face warm up and burn. He was talking to her...! And she called him by name! (Well, sort of...)

"Sure, I don't mind dancing. Let's go now?" The girl smiled politely. "I'm not too good at dancing though..."

"Eh...?" He couldn't believe it. Sasagawa Kyoko... agreed to go dancing with him! "Ah! I-I-I'm n-not too good either...!" The brunette stuttered out quickly, a silly smile already spreading from cheek to cheek.

"Then, we can practice together." Kyoko giggled gently. They started moving towards the dance floor and Hana frowned at the two distastefully before sending her frown towards Yamamoto, who smiled nervously in return.

_I... hadn't intended it at all..._

"Ah! It's a slow dance...!" Kyoko exclaimed as the rhythm of the music softened. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Tsuna's shoulders casually. The brunette froze on his feet. S-Slow dance...! He heard the girl speak again, "Tsuna-kun, you have to put your hands on my waist for a slow dance."

"O-Oh... o-okay..." He hesitantly put his hands on her warm waist and then promptly blushed a beet red. Slow dance...!

The dance seemed to last so long and yet it felt too short when the lulling music finally ended. Kyoko pulled away and Tsuna shakily let go. The brunette glanced down at his shoes, face still burning and heart still pounding. Had she felt it while they were dancing so close to each other...?

"Umm... umm... t-t-t-thank y-y-you..." Tsuna struggled to say through his stuttering. Kyoko giggled and shook her head.

"No need, it was fun dancing with you, Tsuna-kun!"

The brunette looked up and after seeing the girl's smile, he sighed and smiled back happily.

A low tolling sound came from one of the school towers. Like the call of a coming omen.

The bell...!

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Tsuna's eyes went wider at every ring.

Twelve in total. Twelve.

It was midnight.

He felt his hands start to grow sweaty.

"Umm, thank you very much! I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan, but I have to go now..." He bowed hastily and then started to back away from the girl, who waved at him in slight confusion. He had to find Yamamoto and tell him that he would be going home...

As he scanned the groups of students in the crowd blindly, he finally found the spiky black hair of his friend outside the cafeteria, beside the colorful water fountain. He stumbled towards the door leading outside and heard the hushed voice of his friend. Who was he speaking to...?

"Yamamoto?" He asked timidly. The voice stopped and as he neared the water fountain, he found the black haired youth sitting on the edge of it, smiling casually.

"Yo, Tsuna. You finished dancing?"

"Y-Yeah... hey, listen. I have to go back home now... Mom and Dad don't want me out past midnight so..." The brunette fidgeted nervously, trying not to think about the story that plagued his mind.

"Oh... okay... want me to walk you back home?" Yamamoto offered and stood up, stretching his arms up. "I think I'll head back home, too. Not much else to do now..."

Tsuna sighed in relief. "Yeah... that would be—"

"Hey, wait. What's that on your back?"

"H-Huh...?" The brunette blinked in surprise from the sudden interruption. His body was starting to sweat all over. Why did Yamamoto say something like that? "M-My b-b-back...?"

"Yeah, there's something behind you. Could you turn around so I could get a closer look?"

"T-Turn... around...?" Tsuna heard his own voice squeak. Yamamoto's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Tsuna, are you okay...?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Okay, well... if you don't want to turn around, I can always just see for myself. It looks kind of red..." The black haired youth took a few steps towards him. Tsuna backed away.

"R-Red...?" His eyes were wide open in horror.

"Tsuna? What's wrong? I won't hurt you..." Yamamoto watched his friend with great concern. "You... look so scared... I just want to see what's on your back..."

"Y-Yamamoto..." The brunette trembled and the black haired man moved towards him once again. He didn't step back this time and he squeezed his eyes shut as his best friend moved behind him.

"Woah... where did you get these from...? Are they having some kind of cosplay festival now?" Yamamoto's voice, full of amazement, came from behind him.

"Huh?" Tsuna's eyes opened slowly. "Cosplay?"

The black haired youth swiveled around, grinning and making a large flapping motion with his arms. "Yeah, you've got these beautiful red wings on your back! How did you get them to look so real?"

"W-Wings...?" The brunette gaped at his friend, unable to process the thought. Yamamoto glanced over the brunette's shoulder and his eyebrows rose.

"But you've got these weird snakes wrapped around them. Want me to take them off?"

"Umm... sure?" Tsuna blinked a couple of times. Wings? He had wings on his back? Red ones? How...? How did they get there? He never remembered putting on a pair of wings...!

Yamamoto smiled cheerily and reached a hand out to pull the snakes away. And suddenly, the desperate cry of someone came erupting out from the dark trees behind the fountain.

"No! DON'T!"

Tsuna jumped at the shout and Yamamoto, in his shock, accidentally jerked the snakes off. Whoever it was that had warned them not to remove the snakes had been a second too late. The brunette yelped as a bright image pierced into his mind. He heard Yamamoto gasp and he could feel a tension in his back loosen. What was this feeling...? The image stung his mind and eyes again. Clouds. Clouds upon clouds of clouds. And buildings... built on top of them...

What was this...?

_I had never intended..._

Yamamoto watched the red wings on his friend's back shoot outwards, stretching to twice the boy's arm span. The wings were crimson, spraying soft feathers of glowing red. Like red fairies dancing around him. A pulse of energy burst from Tsuna and the baseball player anchored his foot behind him to keep himself from being blasted backwards by the power. Dust pumped from the ground, pulsating, and the dark haired youth grit his teeth as he fought to remain standing, chocolate brown eyes fixated on the glowing amber orange ones of his best friend.

"Tsuna...?" The young man shouted through the nearly deafening sound of swirling wind.

_I had never..._

"Oya?"

The man lying on one of the quiet rooftops of the school slowly pushed himself up on his elbows. He had been observing the stars for the past few hours. But... that sudden pulse in the winds...

It tasted so innocent.

And so obviously stained with the blood of sin.

Beautiful.

The man chuckled and he sat up straight, easily balancing on the tiled roof. As a bright red feather floated by, he plucked it from the air and studied it with his mismatched eyes, illuminated in the moonlight.

"How _**very**_ interesting... kufufu."

_Never..._

On the highest tower of Namimori High, a young man rested there, eyes closed peacefully. As a gust of wind gently blew by, the man's eyes opened, awakened. His icy grey-blue pupils stared up at the sky thoughtfully and he steadily got to his feet. The man yawned and then peered down from his perch, down at the water fountain where a tiny winged boy stood, glowing a mesmerizing pure crimson.

A blood-thirsty smile made its way across his face as he studied the brunette with growing interest.

"Hm... it's been a while..."

His cold grey-blue eyes narrowed and the smile on his lips vanished.

"I'll bite you to death."

_At that time, I felt so light. I felt like I could fly off the ground, do somersaults, dance in the air, walk across water. The image in my head... the clouds upon clouds of clouds... they had such a familiar feeling to them. And... there was a tree. A dead tree that I always believed would truly blossom one day..._

_There was something very important about that tree..._

_It..._

_...has to blossom one day._

_Has to._

"Ci...ste...llo... I... remem...ber...! Haya...to..."

After one last pulse of energy, Tsuna's wings retracted again, relaxing at last. The brunette collapsed, falling softly on his side, pillowed by a mattress of earth, and Yamamoto rushed forward. He hastily checked the boy's vitals and sighed in relief when he felt the slow beats of the boy's heart against his fingers. The black haired youth lifted the young boy, careful not to touch the wings—which were surprisingly as light as air itself, since the boy didn't feel any heavier than before—and he hugged Tsuna gently.

"Sorry, Tsuna..." Yamamoto whispered softly, "I don't know what just happened or why you have these wings all of a sudden... I think... I might've done something wrong... I have a bad feeling about all of this..." His hands tightened around the boy. "But... I'm gonna make sure that you at least get back home safely tonight..."

He managed a weak smile for the sleeping brunette in his arms.

"I'll protect you from now on, okay? It's a promise...!"

That one phrase, from what seemed so long ago, resounded sweetly in the boy's ears once again. And a stream of tears fell from behind the brunette's eyelids, unable to remain restrained any longer.


	3. Chapter 3

_"Listen, Takeshi, there are things that exist in this world that you can't even begin to imagine about."_

The black haired youth carried the winged brunette in his arms, making his way to the boy's house with light steps. What was happening? He had never seen Tsuna with those wings before... Why now? And what were those snakes? What had happened when he took them off?

The only thing he knew for sure—although he didn't know how—was that Tsuna's parents probably knew something about it. He had to get Tsuna back home as quickly as possible.

There were a few students trekking slowly from the school gates, weary from a night of partying. Yamamoto noticed a few of them staring. Did they see Tsuna's wings, too?

"Hey, Yamamoto!" The dark haired teen paused when someone called him. He pasted a small smile to his face and held Tsuna closer.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to Sawada? Did he get drunk or somethin'?" The student guffawed from a few feet away, watching the duo in interest. Yamamoto laughed along.

"Maybe. I better get him back home, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow, man!"

Yamamoto left without another word, eyebrows creased together and gaze fixed on the road, avoiding to look at the red feathers glowing from his left. Then... only he could see the wings?

There was a flash of pale white from behind a dark tree and he skidded to a halt. What in the world...? When he checked the trees to his right and saw nothing, the teen quickly shrugged it off as a trick of the light. Maybe this was just one big dream he was having...

Suddenly, there was a screeching of tires and a sleek black car rounded the corner of a lamp post, swerving towards him. Yamamoto drew back as the car abruptly stopped beside him. The window rolled down and the face of Sawada Iemitsu peered out, eyes darker than usual.

"Get in the car."

The black haired youth blinked once but nevertheless stepped in obediently.

_Instincts. Senses. Reflexes. I never really gave much thought about where I had gotten them from. Or why mine were better than an average human's._

The ride to Tsuna's house was abnormally quiet. There was only the whirring of the car engine and the occasional bump of gravel beneath the wheels. Yamamoto studied the brunette in his lap carefully. The boy's cheeks were wet.

Had he been crying...?

The young man wiped the tears away quickly. Tsuna shouldn't be crying. It didn't suit him.

He still hadn't relinquished his hold on the boy. Maybe he felt that Tsuna would be safer near him?

The black haired teen let his eyes fall on the wings. Now that he had calmed down a little, he noticed that the color wasn't quite like red. More like... silver that had been mixed with fresh blood. It looked... alive. He reached a hand out, fingertip about to touch one feather.

"You can see them."

It was more of a statement than a question.

Yamamoto froze and then lifted his gaze from Tsuna, chocolate brown eyes now staring into the gleaming ones of Sawada Iemitsu in the rear view mirror. The man's eyes darted back to the road.

"You're Tsuna's friend, right?"

"Yeah..." He had only met Tsuna's father a few times before. And most of the time, he had only seen the man sleeping in the living room. The teen turned to watch the brunette again. "Sawada-san? What exactly...?"

"He's always had them. You just never saw them until now because he's never left the house past midnight. He's never even stayed up past midnight."

Yamamoto looked up, eyebrows raised inquisitively. "...midnight?"

"People like Tsuna, they look like the rest of us in the day. But after midnight, their true selves are revealed."

The dark haired teen chuckled. "The way you say that makes it sound like Tsuna's not human or something...!"

The man's eyes were on him again.

His laugh slowly died down and he fell silent.

"You're the one who pulled those snakes off of his wings, right?"

"Yeah..."

Iemitsu smirked. "Just like your father, eh?"

Yamamoto blinked. "Hm? My dad...?"

"You'll learn soon enough... it'd probably be better if you heard it directly from him though..." The man trailed off while turning the wheel to the left.

"?"

"We're here."

_When I went back home the next day, I asked my dad about it. He left the kitchen without a word and then came back with a bamboo sword in his hands. That was when he told me that line:_

_**"Listen, Takeshi, there are things that exist in this world that you can't even begin to imagine about."**_

_As I listened to him, my heart beat so fast. It was the same feeling I got whenever I stood at the batter's plate, the rival team's pitcher winding up for the last pitch, the entire team and crowd watching. Waiting in anticipation._

They left the car and entered Tsuna's house through the front door; Iemitsu holding the door open, eyes trained on their surroundings, and Yamamoto lifting Tsuna into the house. Sawada Nana met them in the hall entrance, eyes wide and hands to her lips.

"He's all right, Nana. Just asleep. Yamamoto accidentally took the snakes off... that's all."

The trio settled themselves in Tsuna's bedroom, with the brunette lying peacefully on his side, continuing his slumber in his bed. Yamamoto stared at the crimson wings tucked behind his friend's body, spread across the bed sheets. Nana offered him a mug of tea.

"So..." He said after a sip, "...who is he?"

"A Cistellian. Winged people who live in the clouds."

His eyebrows raised again. Winged people...? Who lived in clouds?

"Don't worry, he's still the Tsuna you know. Just because he's got wings now doesn't change the fact that he's Tsuna." The man offered him a small smile.

"But..." Yamamoto set his mug down on the carpet, "If he lives in the clouds, what's he doing down here? Why doesn't he go back?"

The two parents glanced at each other. Then, Iemitsu turned to him again. "We're... not entirely sure why he's here... well, we know that he can't go back because he doesn't remember anything about his life in Cistello. We found him one night in the forest, while we were taking a walk together... and then we got orders to take care of him."

Yamamoto blinked a couple of times. "Orders...?"

The couple went silent.

"Okay... well, what's going to happen now?" The dark haired teen scratched his cheek. "I... wasn't supposed to take those snakes off, right?"

Iemitsu stared blankly for a moment and then chortled heartily. "You're pretty calm, aren't you? Seeing as you just saw your friend sprout a pair of wings." The man downed a small cup of rice wine and let out a sigh, eyes straying to Tsuna. "Well... those snakes were there for many reasons. The main one being that it would seal off the energy he gives off. You must've felt it, right? When you took them off."

Yamamoto thought back to the pulsating feeling that had hit him a couple of times, like the strong waves of a wild sea. "Yeah..."

"Well, apparently Tsuna is very different from other Cistellians. He isn't supposed to be down here. And it's exactly because he's not supposed to be down here that it draws many other creatures of our land to him. Now that his energy has been released, they'll come looking for him. Some of them may be very dangerous to Tsuna, so... we're gonna have to keep a close eye on him from now on. Or find a way to get him back to Cistello..."

Yamamoto laughed nervously. "Man, this all seems like a dream... so you're saying there are other things than those Cistellians and shapeshifters down here?"

"Shapeshifters?" Iemitsu and Nana glanced at him simultaneously. A bead of sweat ran down his head.

"Erm... nevermind..."

Iemitsu scratched his chin idly. "Well... your father will probably know more about that than me."

_But I wasn't prepared for just exactly how much my dad knew about our world. When he started talking about it all, he seemed like a completely different person._

"Umm... can I stay for the night? I just wanna..." The black haired youth smiled sheepishly. Nana giggled and nodded.

"I'll get a blanket for you."

Iemitsu grinned. "If Nana says it's okay."

"Thanks." Yamamoto smiled back and moved to sit by the brunette's bed. His brown eyes trailed from the wings to his friend's sleeping face and he chuckled wryly. He always thought that there was something different about Tsuna from other people... He just never imagined that the brunette would belong to a different world entirely...

Nana entered the room again and draped a thick blanket over Yamamoto's shoulders gently. "Don't stay up too late. If you need anything, you can always ask Iemitsu. He stays up late a lot." She smiled kindly and then left the room once more.

The black haired youth watched the woman leave before returning his attention to Tsuna. He reached a hand out to the feathers once more, eyes widening when the soft bristles tickled the ends of his fingertips and sent a strange, fuzzy feeling up his arm. Then, he smiled, eyes curving up in sunny arcs, and moved his hand up to rustle the brunette's hair.

"Maa, you're still Tsuna. I don't mind at all." The young man spoke softly, more to himself than to the slumbering boy, "And... I'm glad that you're here."

Something from outside the window caught his eyes. Yamamoto whipped his head around, thinking he had seen something white outside. But there was nothing there.

"Hm?" Maybe he was imagining things...

.:.

_Water was bubbling in front of him; his eyes drawn to the colors of purple, yellow, green, and blue dyeing the fountain. He had just escaped the cafeteria—taking a break to get a breath of fresh air as opposed to the perfume and cologne of the boys and girls who had suddenly surrounded him after Tsuna had left. As he stared into the water, he felt a presence nearby. It was a familiar presence. He had felt it following him for the past week already._

_Should he continue ignoring it? Confront it?_

_The young man ran a hand through his hair and then glanced at a tree a few meters away. "Is there something I can help you with...?"_

_For a while, only the splashing of water answered back. And then, the tree spoke._

_"Not bad, Yamamoto Takeshi."_

_The dark haired teen blinked. He had been expecting a person to step out from behind the tree and apologize. But instead, it seemed like the tree was speaking to him._

_The tree moved._

_Took a step, was more like it._

_What the...?_

_And then the tree morphed right before his eyes, shrinking to the size of a bush. A baby stood before him now, clothed in a black suit and fedora. There was a strange looking lizard on the baby's hat._

_"A kid?" Yamamoto blinked once again. "Um... are you lost...?"_

_He saw the baby smirk wryly. "Possibly. But this town has become quite intrigueing. I'll be sticking around for a while. You should pay more attention to your friend... he has a lot of trouble coming his way."_

_"Sorry... I don't really understand." A troubled smile crossed the young man's face. "My friend? You mean Tsuna?"_

_The baby changed again, this time into a small pebble on the ground. Yamamoto eyed it questionably. A... shapeshifter?_

_"Yamamoto?"_

_He spun around and sat on the edge of the fountain, pulling a casual smile over his face just as his best friend came from the shadows._

_"Yo, Tsuna..."_

"Yamamoto? Yamamoto!" He heard the panicked voice of the brunette near his ears and he mumbled sleepily, lifting his head up from his arms.

"Tsunaa...?" The young man asked in a slurred voice, returning from his subconcious. He found a pair of light brown eyes staring back at him in concern and surprise. Yamamoto jerked backwards. "Tsuna?"

"Hiee! Ya-Yamamoto?" The brunette replied, eyes growing rounder. Yamamoto surveyed his surroundings quickly and then chuckled.

"Oh, right! I'm in Tsuna's room. Haha, I completely forgot!" The young man sent a cheery smile in the direction of his friend, who continued to stare back with wide eyes. He vaguely noticed that the wings on the boy's back had vanished. His unusual amber eyes from yesterday night had also returned to the normal light brown.

Could it be... that everything was merely a bizarre dream?

"Erm... Yamamoto?" He heard Tsuna mumble nervously, "Why are you in my room...?"

"Hm? Oh, I guess I might've been sleep walking. Ahaha!" The black haired teen chortled, as if that would be a convincing reason for him to wake up beside his best friend's bed. "Anyway, how are you feeling? You passed out yesterday night."

"Eh? Is that so..." He heard Tsuna murmur and watched the boy scratch his head a few times. "I can't really remember... But I think there was something red all around me... a lot of clouds... and... Gokudera-kun."

It seemed that by the sound of his words, nothing from yesterday had been a dream. Clouds... Tsuna must've recalled his time living as a Cistellian before coming to this world. But something bothered him.

"Gokudera?" Yamamoto stared at his friend skeptically.

Tsuna hesitated and then continued scratching his head with a nervous smile. "Yeah... I don't know why..."

The dark haired teen fell silent, gaze moving on its own accord to the window. Gokudera... could that guy know something about Tsuna? Or was he one of those dangerous creatures Iemitsu had mentioned the night before?

"What time is it...?" Tsuna sighed and reached for his alarm clock on the table. The boy groaned and fell back on his bed, eyes squeezing shut. "Five in the morning, why did I wake up so early? Haa..." Yamamoto watched his friend abruptly turn onto his side with an uncomfortable grimace across his face. The dark haired teen chuckled at the small action. Maybe Tsuna, without realizing, could feel the existence of his wings.

_After waking in Tsuna's room, I left early and went back home. That was when I asked my dad about everything. And that was when my dad drilled as much as he could into me. In just those few hours before school._

The pavement flew behind his feet, blurring beneath him like a long carpet of grey wool. He rushed to the usual gates, panting breathlessly, heart still pumping and skin still tingling from all that he had learned. The brunette at the school entrance spun around, mouth open in the shape of an 'o'.

"Yamamoto...! Are you okay?"

A small chuckle bubbled from the dark haired baseball player and a grim smile made its way over his lips. "Yeah, I'm fine... Tsuna." Seeing that the concern in his friend's face had not yet dispersed, his eyes curved up cheerily and he slung an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Haha! I'm fine, Tsuna! We should get to class. Don't want to stand out in the hall again, right?"

"O-Oh... if you say so..."

The two hastily made it to their classroom, as though it were just like any other normal day. As though the cafeteria had never become a ballroom the night before. As though the water fountain had never been bursting with colored light. As if Tsuna and all of the people around him, including himself, hadn't suddenly grown a new identity. Was this how it would feel like to step through a new dimension? They scurried in through the doorway and Yamamoto smiled like usual, greeting his classmates as the teacher nodded. But as he made the last of his greetings, his eyes flit to the corner of the room. That guy had been on his mind since the morning... And like always, the silver haired youth was staring out the window.

Yamamoto paused, studying the young man, eyes darkening slightly.

"Yamamoto...?"

A pair of emerald green eyes flickered towards him and he could see a twinge of irritation in them. The two young men locked eyes. Who was Gokudera...? The first time the silver haired man had come, it seemed like he knew who Tsuna was... but he didn't seem to be... one of the dangerous ones. Who was he? What did he know about Tsuna?

He had to find out.

"Yamamoto!"

"H-Huh?" The baseball ace blinked and glanced at the brunette staring back at him with worry. "Oh, sorry. Haha, I guess I'm a little airheaded today, huh." He sent a sheepish grin towards Tsuna and started walking up the steps to their usual seats. When he peered in Gokudera's direction again, the silver haired man had already returned to looking out the window.

_"Faster!" His father whipped out the bamboo sword in his hands as though it were as flexible and light as a piece of cardboard. The end slammed into his face armor full force and he felt his head reel from the devastating pressure. "We are the exorcists of this land. You must think that you are to defeat them with one blow."_

_Yamamoto gripped his own sword tightly, taking deep breaths and blinking away the sweat dripping into his eyes. He looked into his fathers eyes and his grip on his sword trembled._

_They were the eyes of a killer._

_Nevertheless, he gathered himself up by his shaking legs, staggering under the exhaustion and weight of the armor and clothes he wore. His ears were still ringing from the last blow to his head._

_This was... even more tiresome than baseball...!_

_"Don't let your thoughts go astray. That would be the moment when you lose." He saw the flash of his father's sword again and prepared to block it but he felt another pain erupt from his back instead, as though it had been cut by the crack of a whip. His knee fell to the floor. "That would be the moment when they kill you." Yamamoto fought to bring his arms up in a weak attempt at blocking again. "That would be the moment when they destroy what is most important to you...!"_

_His vision went white. He grit his teeth and let out a feral yell, legs heaving upwards in one last stand. In the next second he felt the violent crack of wood against wood. He couldn't hear anything anymore. He couldn't feel anything anymore. Only one thing reverberated through his entire being._

_**Must protect...!**_

_And then he was standing on the opposite side of the dojo._

_He turned quickly, preparing for another attack. But Tsuyoshi merely stood on the other end, staring back at him with warm fatherly eyes again. A smile lit up the man's face and he lifted up his right arm. Yamamoto blinked in surprise. The sleeve had been torn. Bewildered, he looked down at his hands and nearly took a step back in shock when he now wielded a sharp steel sword rather than the old and worn practice sword._

_"Wha...? Dad, what just—?"_

_"You are ready, my son. Now let me tell you more about the balance between the serpents, the demons, the humans, the spirits, and all other beings who live down here."_

_Yamamoto loosened his grip and the tip of the sword pointed to the ground._

_"Dad..."_

_"And of course... you will know more about the Cistellians..."_

The teacher's textbook shut with a snap. "That is all. Class dismissed!"

Yamamoto jumped from the sound, eyes refocusing on the board. "Hm?" He felt someone watching him and he slowly turned to his right, smiling uneasily as Tsuna eyed him with a look coupled with suspicion and worry.

"Yamamoto, are you really okay?"

The black haired youth stared his friend for a moment. Then he let out a brief sigh and calmly smiled. "I'm fine, Tsuna. Just got a few things on my mind, that's all."

"Was it because... you stayed over all night and your dad got worried?"

Yamamoto blinked and then laughed, letting the noise chime in the air, "No! That's not it." He casually tousled the shorter boy's hair, "Anyway, don't worry about it. Let's go get lunch or something." A flash of silver near the doorway caught his attention and the dark haired boy scratched the side of his cheek. "Ehhh... on second thought, I've got something I need to do. Why don't you go get lunch first and I'll find you later?"

He watched his friend blink at him in confusion. "Eh? Okay... See you later then...?" Yamamoto grinned and nodded, grabbing his school bag quickly before rushing towards the doorway. He could hear Tsuna faintly calling after him, "If there's anything wrong, just remember I'm here for you...!" The young man chuckled to himself and gave the brunette a brief nod. Then, he left. As he wove his way through the students in the hall, his eyes darted across the heads, searching for the peculiar silver color.

There!

That guy was at his lockers. Yamamoto jogged forward, slowing to a stop beside the other young man. For several seconds, the two of them remained silent, one staring at the other and the other tossing his books carelessly into his locker. And then Gokudera scowled.

"What do you want?" The silver haired boy slammed his locker shut, emerald eyes flashing towards him. Somehow, it reminded Yamamoto of a cornered animal baring its fangs. He pulled on a smile and rubbed the back of his head casually.

"Nothing much... just had a few questions I wanted to ask. That's all."

Gokudera had fully turned towards him now, eyes gleaming with hatred. Without warning, the young man grabbed Yamamoto by the collar and with a surprising strength, he jerked him forward.

"I don't want anything to do with you." Gokudera spat out in a low, feral voice, "Don't show up in front of me ever again or I'll kill you, got that?" Then, the silver haired boy thrust him into the lockers, alarming the hurriedly withdrawing students in the vicinity. Gokudera sent one last growl at him before walking away coldly. Yamamoto rubbed his neck, easing the slight twinge of pain from being treated so roughly, and watched as the other boy stalked off down the hall. Despite how dangerous Gokudera sounded, for some reason... he didn't feel threatened at all.

"Wait!" He hollered and pushed himself off the lockers, following the other from behind. "Hey, I'm asking you to wait a second...!" Gokudera ignored him and the dark haired man sighed. "It's about Tsuna." The silver haired boy came to a full stop and Yamamoto smiled when Gokudera seemed to react to Tsuna's name. He continued, "I just want to know what you know about him."

The other boy remained silent.

"Ehh, like when you first came to class," The baseball ace started again uncertainly while watching the young man's back, "It seemed like you knew Tsuna before..." He heard the silver haired youth mumble something and leaned in closer, turning his ear to him. "Eh?"

"Get the fuck out of my face! I said it's got nothing to do with you!" Gokudera burst out suddenly—causing Yamamoto to jump in surprise—and the silver haired boy went walking briskly towards the doors at the end of the corridor.

Yamamoto blinked and stared at the man's back. His eyes narrowed in slight irritation. Why was that guy so rude? And angry all the time? He didn't know what Gokudera's problem was but... saying that it had nothing to do with him? Of course it had something to do with him!

_"...you've got these weird snakes wrapped around them. Want me to take them off?"_

It was... his fault that Tsuna was in danger.

But it was more than just that.

Tsuna was his best friend. His only best friend... If there was the possibility that Tsuna could be hurt... he would do whatever it took to shield him from harm. Yamamoto launched from his toes, speeding across the floor. Even though Gokudera did not seem to be dangerous to Tsuna... he still had to make sure.

To protect Tsuna.

His hand grabbed the silver haired man by the shoulder and he pulled Gokudera around, dark eyes piercing into emerald ones.

"Gokudera, I _need_ to know who you are. How did you know Tsuna?"

"Wha—!" The silver haired man flung Yamamoto's hand off his shoulder with disgust and growled out in a low voice, "I told you already, it's none of your business! Now get the fuck away or I'll—!"

"It IS my business!" He was shouting. His blood... it was boiling.

Gokudera stared back with wide eyes. And then scoffed and turned away, hair falling over his eyes. "Heh... what the hell is this? It's got nothing to do... with someone like you."

Yamamoto's eyes hardened. "Is it because I'm human?" Gokudera's face spun towards him, a scowl deep on his face. The two men watched each other with calculated expressions, neither showing any sign of backing down. The silence echoed in the empty hallway. They were alone now. Just the two of them. Gokudera turned away.

"You think you know so much... you think a guy like you can protect him?" The young man spun around again, fists clenched so tightly that they seemed to be as pale and heavy as rocks. "Do you even know what you've done? How can a guy like you...! Someone like _you_...!"

Yamamoto felt his own anger steadily dissipate as he continued to observe the other man. Gokudera's expression... why did it look as though his most precious possession had been stolen away and that no matter where he tried to look for it, he was not able to find it? So desperate. So helpless. That was how the baseball ace felt as he watched the green-eyed man seethe.

"...fine!"

"Eh?" The sudden burst of agreeing words surprised him from his stupor. Gokudera was staring at him in an intense manner.

"Fine, I'll make you understand... that no matter what you do, you can't do anything for him!"


End file.
